Veneers are primarily used to make teeth whiter or to fix small cosmetic defects. However, veneers can have other benefits for some patients.
For example, some people feel that they get a mini facelift as well as whiter teeth after they've had veneers fitted. They feel that their face looks a bit younger. How does this work, and will it work for you?
How Veneers Change the Face
Veneers add an extra layer to the teeth. While your dentist will remove some of the front of a tooth to make room for a veneer, they don't want to remove too much of it. So, a tooth with a veneer may make the tooth slightly more prominent than it was before.
While your dentist takes pains not to make your teeth look too big when they have veneers, this extra layer can have a positive effect on some facial problems for older people. For example, It can push your mouth out slightly. So, if you have small wrinkles on your upper lip or around your mouth, then these wrinkles may smooth out after a veneer treatment. Thin lips may look a little fuller than they did.
How Veneers Might Change Your Face
Veneers aren't a substitute for a regular facelift. They may smooth out some wrinkles and make parts of your face look plumper, but you shouldn't expect the kind of results you'd get from a surgical facelift. Any facial changes you see from veneers are likely to be small. While this may be an added bonus if you just wanted slightly plumper lips or less obvious lines around your mouth, veneers can't do much more than this.
Your dentist's focus is on whitening or fixing your teeth; they aren't there to manage signs of ageing on the skin. To deal with deep wrinkles, your dentist would have to fit oversized veneers that would make your teeth look really odd. Saying that, if you want to use veneers to whiten your teeth, then you may end up with a more youthful looking face as a bonus. This is a useful extra advantage of veneer treatments.
If you're interested in how veneers might change parts of your face that you aren't happy with, talk to your dentist. They'll have plenty of experience of how veneers might affect lines and lips and can tell you if you can expect to see any positive changes after your whitening treatment. For more information, contact a dental clinic near you.